RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Colombia coach Jose Pekerman avoided questions about Luis Suarez, ducked any assessment of the striker's punishment and didn't mention his name ahead of Saturday's World Cup second round match against Uruguay.
Pekerman, who coached Argentina at the 2006 World Cup, repeated several times on Friday that Uruguay is a ''top-notch opponent'' - steering the focus away from Suarez and the Uruguayan's lengthy ban from football.
Pekerman says ''our concern is Uruguay as a team and we are working to play against them.''
Suarez was banned on Thursday from all football activities four months, suspended from Uruguay's next nine internationals and fined for biting Giorgio Chiellini in a 1-0 victory over Italy which sealed the South Americans' place in the last 16.
